Austrian Muslims jailed in threat video case

VIENNA (Reuters) - An Austrian Muslim couple accused of involvement in a video threatening attacks and posted on the Internet were jailed on charges of membership of a terrorist organisation, the Austrian news agency APA said.

The man was sentenced late on Wednesday to four years and his wife to 22 months.

The agency said the man's sentence mentioned al Qaeda.

The pair, named as Mohamed M., aged 22, and Mona S., 21, were detained in September on suspicion of posting a video message on the Internet threatening attacks in Austria and Germany, authorities said at the time.

Earlier on Wednesday, the man scuffled with guards after the judge ordered him removed from the court when he protested at the judge's refusal to let him speak to his wife.

The wife, who wore a veil, was excluded from the four days of hearings because she refused to remove her all-covering niqab.

Much of the evidence centred on material found on the defendants' computer and defence claims that the way it was acquired violated their rights.

The court heard that both were Austrian citizens and were married under Islamic law but not under Austrian law.

They were accused of supporting "terrorist organisations such as al Qaeda," public prosecutor Michael Klackl told the court when the trial began.